USS Denebola (AD-12)

History and Pictures from World War Two

Memoirs of Milton W. Sherman

The USS Denebola (AD-12) was a destroyer tender in the US Navy. My father, Milton W. Sherman, served on her in World War Two, including cruises across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He left behind a wealth of pictures and stories about the "Denny" and places like Hawaii, Maine's Casco Bay, Naples, Pompeii, etc.. This web page is mainly a link to different parts of the story.

Lieutenant Commander Robert B. Trainer certainly was a fine man. In my Dad's correspondence is a hand-written letter from Mr. Trainer, dated 1990, in which he wrote, "Dear Mr. Sherman, I was most impressed, and I must say, touched, to have heard from you after 45 years. I do, of course, remember the incident of your troubles with Crepeau and was glad to have been of help in straightening them out How long ago it seems now." By this gracious reply (45 years later!), I can see that my Dad's high estimation of Mr. Trainer's character was entirely accurate. Read the whole story

Rates and Ratings

US Navy enlisted personnel have a system of "rates" and "ratings," that is confusing to the uninitiated. And the terse abbreviations make it worse. Briefly, a "rate" is the rank: 3rd Class Petty Officer, 2nd Class Petty Officer, 1st Class Petty Officer and Chief Petty Officer; these NCOs are equivalent to Army Sergeants. Below these are "unrated men," Seaman Recruit, Seaman Apprentice, Seaman, equivalent to Privates and Corporals. All this is simple enough.

The confusing part is the Navy's practice of incorporating a sailor's technical specialty, i.e. his "rating," into his title. Thus my father, for most of his naval career was a Third Class (Petty Officer); that was his "rate." His "rating" was Machinist Mate. So, he was ordinarily referred to as a "Machinist Mate, Third Class." This was abbreviated "MM/3." In these stories, you will come across various references to these, such as "Cekander Y/1," i.e. "Mr. Cekander, Yeoman First Class."

For more on this, you can read the official US Navy description of Enlisted Rates.

Sources:

Memoirs and photographs of Milton W. Sherman (1919-2010). He served in the U.S. Navy during WW2, on board the USS Denebola, AD-12, when he was in mid-twenties. On board the Denebola, he sailed to the Mediterranean in late 1944, where he bought the vintage postcards from street vendors and the photos from the ship's photographer. He also sailed to the Pacific in 1945. In the early 1990s, he was active in the Denebola's reunion association, and contributed many articles to their newsletter, "Tender Topics."